Sage Francis Brings Copper Gone to NYC (Review + Photos)

“Just cuz Macklemore said it doesn’t mean it’s not true,” B. Dolan relayed to the Le Poisson Rouge crowd after performing “Which Side Are You On?“, the non-sanctimonious answer to “Same Love.”

Along with Brooklyn-based Metermaids, Dolan served as opening support for Sage Francis’ first major tour stop in NYC since 2010. He performed standards from Fallen House, Sunken City in addition to a brilliant spoken word piece he had finished writing the night before the show about Rick Ross, Iran-Contra and America’s infatuation with the drug dealer archetype.

“…The secret of the enlightened / Is to preach against whatever it is they practice in the dark / We’re all born free, we die by the shackles we adopt / Enjoy your buoyancy right up until the very last drop” – Sage Francis (“Dead Man’s Float”)

Uncle Sage took to the stage backed by B. Dolan and Lord Grunge (of Grand Buffet) in his traditional wig and cape for an hour and a half performance spanning Personal Journals all the way up to his new LP, Copper Gone, which drops tomorrow. With just three days prior to the show to soak up the new record streaming on SPIN, Le Poisson Rouge patrons seemed to know every word. Highlights of Sage’s thematically-unified set included “Dead Man’s Float” and “Grace.”

Catch Manny Garcia’s photos of the Epic Beard Men at Le Poisson Rouge below and read on to view the remaining US dates on the Copper Gone tour.